Lost and found
by mollietaz
Summary: How do the Gorillas cope after they watch the Warden die?
1. Chapter 1

CRAIG 1

As they sat on the plane on the way home none of them looked at each other , they all kept to themselves trying to deal with the loss they all felt in their own way. They were all stunned at what they had seen. One minute they were all together and then when the plane attacked everything fell apart so quickly. They knew the Germans were after them, and that the scientist they had rescued was important to both sides, and that he was more willing to work for the allies now that his family was safe, but they had not expected the arrack to come so quickly or with such ferocity . The Germans had obviously decided that if they couldn't have Richter then no one else would and had sent a plane to locate and destroy them. They had managed to get through the last checkpoint with relative ease and now they could all understand why. Minutes later the road had disappeared under a hail of bullets giving them just enough time to get out of the car and into the nearest ditch. They were all taking cover when Richter decided to run for the car , trying to get it started , and outrun the next wave of bullets. They saw the Warden run to the car and leap in ,trying and get him off the road again, saw the car swerve and land bonnet first into a ditch. They ducked for cover as the plane returned , and as they looked up after it had gone they saw there was nothing left. The car was engulfed in flames and had flipped out of the ditch and onto the road, pieces of it scattered everywhere. They thought nothing now of their own safety just the need to get to the Warden , get him out before it was too late, As they got nearer the car exploded , the shockwave knocking them off their feet. They knew that no one could have gotten out alive. They could not get near it now the flames were to intense They shouted his name ,but knew he would not answer, could not answer, he was gone and there was nothing they could do. They stood there staring at the car waiting for someone to tell them what to do . It was Actor who came to his senses first, saying quietly `We have to leave, the Krouts will be here soon, we have to go`. They looked from him to the car.

`I ain't gonna leave him, not like this` Chief said.

Actor went and stood between Chief and the burning car,

`There is nothing we can do for him now, Chief, nothing but stay alive.`

As Chief continued to stare at the car Actor said,

`Don't let him down Chief , don't die for nothing, he wouldn't want you to do that.`

Chief said nothing ,just turned and ran up the road .

Actor knew where they were to be picked up. Knew that if they would only trust him he could get them home. No-one wanted to leave the Warden but they had no choice, all they could do for him now was get home safely.

They reached the pick up point easily , supposing that the Krouts thought they had killed them all in the car and had stopped looking for them , they boarded the plane and starred into space, each one realizing that they had left behind a friend, someone they had come to trust and care for had gone and they were lost in their grief, not caring when or if they got home. Right now all they were thinking of was which one of them was going to have to tell Angel that Craig was dead, and there was nothing they could have done to stop it. Nothing they could have done to bring him home to her as they had promised. They knew she would be devastated, but what they didn't know was whether they had become enough of a family over the past few months for them to get over their loss together , or whether she would just walk away and leave them. One thing was for sure , for the first time not one of them wanted to go home.

As always when she knew they were on their way home Angel would come to the mansion and get a fire started in their room and make sandwiches and hot cocoa as they were always cold on the plane . And Goniff especially always came home hungry. She heard the jeep draw up outside and went to the window. She only caught a glimpse of the last two of them getting out and couldn't help but notice how tired they looked. She hoped that the refreshments she had provided would help them relax and that they could get the sleep they so obviously needed. They were waiting for her in the kitchen and she noticed that none of the food had been touched. `

`Hi guys how'd it go? You all ok?

They all seemed so quiet , even Chief .,She looked at Actor and he started to walk towards her and then she knew. Tears started to glisten in her eyes,

`No , please no, not Craig.`

Actor took another step towards her,

`Angel I'm sorry , so very sorry there was nothing we could do to save him.`

She just stared at him , backing away from him as he walked towards her , as if keeping him away would make things alright ,and then without warning , she just stopped , and before he could reach her collapsed onto the floor. Actor gently picked her up and carried her to the Warden's office, and put her on the bed. He turned to Gonff,

`Make some tea will you Goniff? She's going to need it when she comes round.

Goniff looked at Angel and then at Actor, `She going to be alright then? He asked.

`Don't worry Goniff`, Actor told him, we'll take care of her, you just make the tea , you know you make it better than any of us.

Casino looked at Actor and nodded, `Come on mate I'll give you a hand, Actor's got things under control here, let's give him a little room to work shall we? `. Actor nodded his thanks to Casino , and hoped that the two of them would be a comfort to each other.

He looked for Chief and was not surprised to find that he had gone. He knew that Chief would take the Warden's death the hardest of them all, as Craig had been a special friend to him ,his first real friend. Craig had taught Chief to trust him, something that he knew nothing about until Craig had saved his life and had wanted nothing in return. He had changed an angry young man into a member of the team that he could be proud of, and he had taught him that mistakes were notpunishable with a beating , but were there to be learned from , and not made again. But most of all Chief had learned to smile, to not get riled up over things that were meant to tease him and not to hurt him, or meant maliciously. Craig had accepted Chief ,treated him just like the others ,and being treated as an equal was something no one had ever done before. Actor was sure that Chief felt that he had let him down, let Angel down by not bringing Craig home to her, He hoped he would not dwell on the past too much and that he would wantto know what he could do to help her. For that was the one thing that Actor was certain of Angel was going to need them , and he hoped that Chief would realize how much she needed him Angel came too she realized where she was and instinctively looked for looked into Actor's face and knew that this wasn't a dream, that Craig really was dead ,and as the tears started to flow he moved towards her and scooped her up from the bed into his arms. He held her tightly and as the pain hit her and the sobs began in earnest he stroked her hair and told her that they would be there for her ,take care of her. Actor knew that between the four of them theywould make sure that she never had to grieve alone. He held her as if he would never let go and she clung to him, needing some one to help take away the pain that tore through her. They sat holding each other until the sobs started to subside and she drew away from him and swinging her legs off the bed sat on the edge still leaning against him gasping for air and shaking brought in the tea and poured out a mug for her. He looked at Actor and then at Angel `It's hot and sweet, just like me mum told me to make for shock` he said. She took the tea and sipped it and then quietly asked `Are you all o.k,?.Actor hugged her and said `We are all fine , just worried about you that's all,` He looked at her `If there is anything you need all you have to do is tell us we will be here, you do know that don't you?` Angel just nodded knowing that if she tried to speak that the tears would start again . Goniff was trying not to look at her , seeing how hurt she was just made him want to help her but he didn't know what to do. `Tea all right then , is it?` he said. Angel looked at him and gave him a weak smile ,`Just what I needed Goniff `.She said `You're mum knows best as usual` Goniff returned the smile, knowing then that she would beall right with them to take care of her ,and after all that's what the Warden would have looked around the room and before she could say anything Actor said `We don't know where he is, he took off just after you fainted, he's taking Craig's loss harder than I thought he would, and as much as we would all like too ,there's no point in looking for him when he doesn't want to be found, all we can do is hope he will come back when he is ready. Angel nodded, knowing that Actor was right, but worrying about Chief all the more, she knew that he would need sometime alone to deal with his grief in his own way, she just hoped that heremembered that he had friends that cared about him and wanted him to come looked at Actor and said` I need to know how he died , please, I need to know`. Actor took a deep breath , and while Goniff poured more tea for her, he told her about the mission., leaving nothing out, about the car exploding and them not being able to get to him, hoped that she knew that if there had been any way they could have brought him back to her they would have. Angel looked at their faces and knew that they were grieving as much as she was. She took Actor's hand and just said ,`Thank you, thank you all so much, you meant a great deal to him you know, and I know that no-one could have done more for him than you did ,and that if there had been any way you could have got him home that you would have. All that matters now is that you are all safe and I know that would have meant the world to him`. She looked at them all and knew that what they needed most now was each turned to her and asked `Will you stay with us here for a few days until we know you're all right , I don't like the thought of you being all alone in the cottage`.

She smiled at him `

I don't know whether you will understand this , but right now that's where I need to be`. She said `But if it makes you feel better I promise I will call you if I need anything and you can come and pick meup in the morning and I will stay here tomorrow if that's o.k.`

Actor said `If you are sure that is what you want to do, we'll pick you up in the morning at nine sharp , all right?`,

She smiled and hugged him and turned to leave giving Goniff and Casino a hug too as she walked passed them. Actor walked her to thejeep that the Sgt Major had provided and asked `Are sure you don't want to stay?`.

Angel smiled at him `I need to go home, need to grieve for him, cry forhim ,think about what I'm going to do next ,`She took both his hands in hers and as tears slid down her cheeks she said` Thank you, for everything , I do believe that you all did everything possible to keep him alive you know ,but now ,you all have to start believing that too, Craig was a soldier, he knew the risks of the job better than anyone, he always hoped that the choices he made helped to keep you alive , bring you home , but he also knew that the odds were stackedagainst him, and that every time that you got home safely was a blessing.

Please ,please don't feel guilty Actor , and don't let the others feel that way eitherCraig trusted all of you and as far as I am concerned none of you broke that trust. You were with him to the end , watching his back, you never let him feel alone out there , he always knew you would try and bail him out if he got into trouble just as he would have done for you. I am grateful Actor to all of you for everything that you did for him and I know he would feel the same, that he would want me to thank you all for being there all the times he needed you even if you did drive him crazy sometimes , so, promise me no guilt trips ,not you or the others, just believe as I do that you did everything you could for him, andbe grateful , that you all came back safely .That is the best thingyou could possibly have done for him, the most important thing`, Actor looked at her and there were tears in his eyes too `Thank you`, He said `It means a great deal that you do not hold us responsible , and I will do my best to make sure that the others feel the same way, I promise. We all cared very much for him, he was a true friend to us all , and being cons we don't have that many , he will be missed by all of us in our own way`. She hugged him and got into the jeep, unable to say anything else. She nodded to the driver and he started the jeepand drove away . Actor stood and watched her go , hoping that letting be alone was not the worst mistake he had made in a long time.,When she arrived at the cottage she went into the kitchen and made some coffee, The house felt emptier than ever, and she could not imagine that there would ever be laughter in it again. All at once it hit her that she would never see his face again, never hear his voice, never feel his kiss on her cheek as he walked passed her ,telling her he would see her later, never see his smile . He was gone. She sat on the couch and looked at the photograph of the two brothers, so alike yet so different. She starred at the images and could not believethat she had lost both of them . The tears blurred the photo , she held it close to her heart and sobbed ,and as the loneliness and grief engulfed her she cried herself to sleep .She woke with the sun streaming through the window and looking at the clock saw that it was eight thirty, She must have fallen asleep , she didn't remember. On the floor was the picture , she picked it up and looked at it and she knew then that she had to find the strength from somewhere to go on. Craig had made her promise that she would take care of them, not let them go back to their old ways. He had told her where he had kept all the money he had saved for them to give them a good start if the army didn't keep their side of the bargain, andthey had to run. He made her promise that if that happened that she would go with them , that they should take care of each other as a family should. He had told her that they needed to stay together for they were as much a part of his family now as she was . She knew that she would do what she had promised , she would be there to help them in any way she could, that they would grieve for himtogether as a family should, it was what he wanted , his last wish , and she would see to it that wish was fulfilled.

Angel heard the jeep pull up outside the house and a moment later there was a knock at the door and Actor asked if he could come in. She looked at him, he looked as if he had not had a lot of sleep either and not as immaculate as he usually did. `You don't look as if you got much rest last night `. He said She smiled `I must have dozed on the couch but to be perfectly honest I don't remember. I haven't been up long so if you want to make some coffee feel free, `I'am going to freshen up, and with that she disappeared upstairs. Actor picked up the photograph that she had left on the sofa, it was the first time he had seen a picture of them the men together and he had't realized just how much alike the two brothers had been. He stood it on the table and went to the kitchen. He didn't think she would eat anything but they had delayed breakfast at the mansion until she got there hoping that she would eat with the rest of them rather than on her own. He had the coffee on the table as she entered the room again and sat down in the chair opposite him. They drank in silence , neither one knowing what to say to comfort the other, until finally she asked ` How are the others holding up?`. He shrugged `Goniff and Casino are pretty much taking care of each other but be warned they have decided that they are going to take care of you whether you like it or not, so you had better be ready for anything , and if you can stand all the fussing round , it will probably be best for everyone to just let them get on with it as they both need to think they are helping ,and it's keeping them busy and not allowing them to much time to think about the events of the last few days.` She looked at him `But?`. She asked?`. Chief is still missing` he said, `No-one has seen him since he left the mansion yesterday , we're not even sure that he's still in the grounds, and though the Sgt Major is cutting him some slack he's not going to be able to cover up his absence for much longer`. She said `We'd better get back and try to find him, he's got to be in the grounds somewhere, and I know a lot of the places he likes to go that the others know nothing about`. Actor smiled,` I hope you're right because if Chief decides that he wants to get lost then no amount of looking will find him`. As they got into the jeep she knew that Actor was right but she knew that if she looked for him then he at least would see her, all she had to do was get near enough to him to talk to him,

As they pulled up outside the doors Goniff and Casino came out to greet her , `Bout time you got here breakfast is ready and we made it so you'd better eat it or else`. She smiled at them, they were like two mother hens, fussing round her, trying to help and not realizing how much just being there helped her so much. She let them lead her to the kitchen and sat down at the table while the two of them made toast and scrambled eggs.` Now sit and don't think about leaving the table `till that plates empty`. The food was good and she hadn't realized that she was so hungry , so doing as she had been told was an easy task , and the look on their faces as she tucked into her breakfast was priceless, they really thought that they had made her do this and were so proud of themselves for being able to help her. `Any chance of a cup of tea to go with this ?` she asked . Goniff took on the job as he said his mum had taught him to make the best cup of tea but frowned when she didn't put in any sugar. She supposed she was still in shock but not like yesterday . Today she had things to deal with , things she had promised Craig she would do, and on the top of that list was finding Chief and making sure he was alright. `That was just what I needed to start the day guys , thank you`, Goniff and Casino grinned and congratulated each other on another successful plan `.Well if you think that was good just wait until lunch time`. Casino said `You ain't seen nothing yet baby` .She laughed. I will do my best gentlemen but, my main concern today is finding Chief so I'm not promising I'll be back in time for lunch, how about we settle for supper instead?`. Casino started to clear the table `Just like a dumb Indian to disappear and ruin everyone's plans `, he grumbled , but she could see that he was just as worried as everyone else. `You want us to go with you ?`. asked Goniff .

`I don't think that's a good idea Goniff but thanks anyway I think I stand a better chance of finding him if I do this alone if he sees too many people he's just as likely too stay lost`. They grudgingly agreed `You be careful, that 's one mean Indian when he's mad` Casino said. She looked at him` He's not mad at me Casino he's just hurting`.

`Oh and we're not I suppose?`. Casino asked gruffly

`Well I don't know about you Casino ,but I hoped and prayed that I would never have to hurt this much again , but what the hell , look on the bright side, it can't ever be this bad again as I have nothing else to lose that matters any more now do I?`. She asked angrily. The minute she said it she regretted it, she lowered her head and sighed . `I'm sorry Casino, that was out of line, and just so you know , I have a great deal more I can lose`. He had his back to her as she walked up to him. `Actually four more things `. She reached out and put her hand on his arm ,and he turned to look at her, She smiled at him `If you ever need anyone to argue with I'm always here you know, and I learned to from the best , call it a family thing ,after all any Garrisons' a match for garbage can hood , don't you think?`. He laughed at her ,took her face in his hands and plonked a kiss on the top of her head. `If you don't get a move on that Indians gonna be halfway back to the reservation, and you'll never find him , not even Garrisons are that good, now go do something useful and leave us poor cons to do the chores`. She grabbed her coat said `Wish me luck `. and walked outside to search the grounds for someone she knew didn't want to be found.

Angel walked down to the streams edge and as she had done in the last two places sat down and called Chief's name and told him how much she needed him. As before there was no reply , but she was sure that he was out here somewhere she just hoped that eventually he would realize she needed to talk to him and that she was not going to give up until she found him. She was getting more and more frustrated and angry . She had been sitting there for almost half an hour and decided to move on to the next place that she hoped he might be. He has taken her to a clearing near the stream once, taken her right to the edge in the trees and told her to be very quiet. She had done exactly as he had told her and had been rewarded by the sight of a deer and her fawn coming down to the water's edge to drink, not knowing that they were there, they had watched them for some time before they had wandered back into the trees and she had just starred at the empty clearing. She had never seen anything so beautiful and had told him so, he said he came here a lot , had seen the fawn being born and had followed its progress over the last few days, and thought it was something she would like to share with him They had grown closer that day for she knew that this was not something that he had shared with anyone else, that this was a place that was special now to both of them, and somewhere they would keep secret from the rest of the guys, even Craig . It was to be one of the few places that he had found on the estate that no-one knew about, places that he had shared with her, where now she hoped she would find him.

She called his name, told him she was worried about him , asked him to let her know if he could hear her. There was no reply. As she sat there alone she felt a sadness creep over her, an emptiness that she could never hope to fill again. She had loved Craig so much, relied on him more than she had imagined, and now facing life without him just seemed too much to bear. The tears started to flow and she buried her head in her hands, feeling that she too had let him down somehow and would never now be able to make amends for the hurt she had caused him. The tears flowed freely and turned into gasping sobs, and all the pain and frustration that had been building up over the last two days suddenly reached the surface. She let out a scream without even knowing she was doing it and picked up a log near her and started to hit it against the nearest tree. She was crying uncontrollably he had left her alone, not just him but David and Sarah too ,they had all left her and she hated them all, how was she supposed to go on when every reason she had for living had gone. She took more swings at the tree trunk and then the anger spent she fell to her knees sobbing uncontrollably , not knowing if she would ever be able to stop, not caring , just feeling the loss and the grief that she knew would never go away.

Chief had watched her enter the clearing and had heard her call to him, He didn't answer, how could she possibly mean what she said, how could she need him when he had let her down so badly. He had turned to leave when he heard her scream, watched as she had taken all her anger out on the tree and then collapsed, so obviously hurting and alone. He knew he couldn't just leave her and he quietly walked up behind her and said `Angel`. At first she didn't seem to hear him, but as he put his hands on her shoulders and said `Angel`. she looked up at him and threw herself into his arms and held him so tightly.` Don't let go please don't let go`, she begged, `its alright , it's alright `. He said

`You're safe now , I'm here`. She did not answer just held him tighter , not able to control the sobs just letting him know how much she needed him.

Neither one knew how long they stayed like that , he just held her until the sobs started to ease and she could talk again.

`I'm so sorry `, he said . She saw the tears in his eyes saw the guilt he felt for letting her down, She wiped away the tears with her fingers `I love you Chief ,do you know that you dumb Indian? I love you. You are as much a brother to me as Craig was , and right now I need you more than ever, but I want your word Chief , you're solemn promise to me that you will never run again, You are not alone anymore Chief , you have a family now , and making that family worry themselves half to death about you is just not on , are you getting the message?`,

Didn't think you'd want me cause I couldn't bring him back like I promised, thought you'd think I'd let you down`. He said

She watched as his tears started again and they held each other and grieved together for the man who had meant so much to both of them.

They sat there just holding each other until both of their tears had stopped and then they just sat with her back resting against his chest and his arms wrapped around her. She felt safe and as they just sat together `You all right ?`, she asked.` Thought that losing the Warden was bad enough`, he said ` But thinking that you would blame me was more that I could bear and so I ran, wanted to stay away and not cause you any more pain`, .She turned and looked at him, `Sometimes you can be so stupid, promise me that you will always talk to me first , give us a chance to deal with whatever problem you have before you walk out of my life again.`

`You have my word`, he said

She turned and once again rested her head against his chest. She held his hands and they sat there together, just letting the peace they had found flow over them and she knew that they had at last found the trust they had once had .

Actor had decided to see if he could help Angel find Chief. The other two were driving him crazy and he had needed to get away from them for a while, He had followed the stream not really expecting to come across either of them but at least helping to look gave him a sense of purpose. As he entered the clearing he saw them ,Chief resting against a tree with Angel resting in his arms, They were both sleeping and he decided to leave them, they could both use the rest, it had been a traumatic time for all of them, but for these two more than most. He hoped they would find some comfort in each other, goodness knows they both deserved it. He walked away as quietly as he could so not to wake them and headed back to the mansion to tell the others that they could stop worrying. At least now they could all start the grieving process together and that he knew was the best thing for all of them.

As they walked back to the mansion hand in hand they said very little, just glad of each other's company , it had been a long time since they had just walked and enjoyed being together and she had missed the closeness they had found during the summer. This was a different feeling, being together now was something that they all needed, not just her and Chief , just to know that they would not be alone would make all the difference to all of them , to know that they had someone to rely on now that Craig had gone. Even just the thought of him brought a feeling of sadness to her, she still could not believe that she would not see him again, she knew the feeling would pass as it had with David and Sarah but there had always been someone there so that she had not felt alone. She realized that it had always been Craig, that no-matter what, he had always been there to put her world right again, and she did not know now how she was going to manage without him .Even when they had been apart after Sarah had died she still knew that if she had really needed him he would have moved heaven and earth to get to her .She knew that the guys would help as much as they could but no-matter how much they tried they would never be able to replace Craig in her life , no-one could ever do that, but she knew that he had meant so much to them to , that they too would never find anyone quite like the Warden ,it was going to be hard for all of them to adjust to living without him , but at least now that they were all together they had a chance..

As they entered the mansion Casino was the first to greet them. He looked at Chief` Oh look, the wanderer returns now that the rest of us have worked our fingers to the bone and everything's done. Well let me tell you something Indian we ain't doing the dishes , no sir , that's a job for you`, Angel looked at them both and saw the slight smile on their faces `Missed you too Casino `. Chief said . Casino walked away still grumbling about no good lazy Indians that expected someone to do all the work for them. Angel waited for the tirade that she thought might come but he just looked at her. `Don't know what you're so happy about, if I'm doing the washing up then you're helping too as you haven't done anything towards supper either`, They both grinned and headed for the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, the boys had decided on sausage and mash for supper as it was one of Angel's favourites too and they wanted to make sure that she would eat something before she went home. `Supper will be ready in fifteen minutes and you two had better be on time or I feed it all to Goniff`. Casino taunted. `Wouldn't miss it for anything Casino`, she said, `There's nothing like a nice relaxing walk in the woods for building up a good appetite , I'm just hoping you've cooked enough`. The tirade that followed from the kitchen as she left was proof that she had wound him up just enough and when Goniff laughingly joined in she knew that they were both all right.

Actor caught Chief as he was leaving the kitchen `Are you going to be all right Chief? `, he asked

`Yea Actor I'll be fine. Sorry if I worried you guys `.

Casino's response came from the kitchen where he had been eavesdropping as usual.

`What makes you think we were worried about you, we were just worried that we would have more chores to do `. As she headed back towards the kitchen Angel could hear all that was going on and smiled, it seemed that Casino really has been worried about Chief but would never admit to it, but they all knew that this was his way of telling Chief he was glad to have him back. They had their supper and cleared up and then they invited her to their room for a brandy. Goniff smiled said `The Warden would throw a fit if he could see us now,`. and that brought a smile to everyone's face and started a conversation that lasted most of the evening about the scrapes they had gotten into and the telling off they had been given each time, It was an evening of shared memories and it made them all feel better to be able to talk about Craig and let out some of the feelings they had bottled up. They thought that it might upset Angel to talk about him, but as the night went on she joined in with stories of her own, and had them laughing at the things he had done . There had been a side to Craig that they knew nothing about and they wished that they had found out more about the man that Angel knew and told them about that night. There had been a sense of fun about him that they had never truly found, but as Actor pointed out he could never really let himself go with them as he was their commanding officer, and if he had given them a inch they would have taken a lot more that the proverbial mile. They all agreed that he had always done his best by them and that he would be missed, that no matter who the army sent to do his job they could never replace him. Angel hoped that Craig had known the respect his men had for him even though they never showed him much when they worked together. Tonight she had tried to show them just how much he had come to care for them, but had found that not only did they know but that they had cared for him too. As the night drew to a close she decided that she would stay at the mansion as she was in no fit state to go home and as the last drink was poured the toast was THE WARDEN.


	2. Chapter 2

Lost and found 2

Craig tried to sit up but found that there wasn't a part of him that didn't was having trouble focusing ,everything was just a blur , he could hearsomeone talking but couldn't work out what they were saying . He tried to movebut all that led to was an excruciating pain in his side and a feeling that heneeded to vomit, so as gently as he could he laid back on the bed and waited forthe pain and the sickness to go away .He must have dozed off as the next time heopened his eyes it was darker than before ,late afternoon maybe and this timethere was someone sitting beside his bed. She was young ,maybe in her earlytwenties, with the darkest eyes he had ever seen . She spoke to him in Frenchand when he didn't answer tried again this time in English .`Good afternoon , nice of you to finally join us, can you tell me who you are?`.He looked at her blankly and realized that he had no idea who he was, hecouldn't remember started to panic,asked her where he was ,why hecouldn't remember, tried once more to sit up but the pain hit him hard this timeand she held him,lowered him to the bed.`You must not try to get up ,you willhurt yourself more if you do. Please listen ,you are safe here ,you are in thedepths of the convent ,no-one ever comes here, no-one will find put thecold cloth on the side of his face `Don't worry I'm sure that everything willbecome clearer in time ,right now your main priority is to get better .You arevery lucky to be alive at all you know, being caught in an explosion like thatwould have killed most people , someone was obviously looking out for you thatday`. You have been here six days , unconscious for most of the time, thisafternoon is the first time you have made any sense at all, I've been quiteworried about you` .He looked at her `You've been with me all that time?` Shesmiled at him `I found you ,that makes you my responsibility ,so yes I havetaken care of you, I am only a novice so the Germans would not miss me if theysearched the convent unlike some of the other sisters. I report to the reverendMother every day to let her know of your progress and she comes down here whenthe doctor needs to see you, otherwise he would get lost in the maze of tunnels,he says you have at least three broken ribs and possibly some cracked ones toobut without taking you to hospital he cannot be sure ., your wrist is broken andyou have a bump on your head the size of an egg but that is slowly starting togo down. The doctor said that until you came round he would not know the extentof the damage but was pretty sure that some memory loss would occur with a woundsuch as yours`.. She could see that he was getting tired again `You need to getsome rest now I will see you in the morning and we will talk some more andhopefully I can arrange for the doctor to come and see you again now that youare awake`.Thank you for everything`,he said and took the medicine that she offered him Ishould at least know the name of my nurse`,he said `. She smiled `You can callme Sister Maria`,He looked at her through the haze that was settling in his headand said `Nice name I like it`. And then closed his eyes and drifted off woke the next morning still feeling groggy but he had at least slept straightthrough the night. The sickness had gone which was a relief `Would you likesomething to eat she asked , it has been a week since you had any proper foodyou must be starving,` He realized that she was right ,he was hungrt. `Yesplease Sister I'll take whatever you have to offer , thanks`. She brought himsome soup and bread and then after she had propped him up fed him ,He ate allthat she gave him and said` It tastes really good Sister ,thanks`.`Glad you like it as it will probably be all the doctor will allow you for thenext couple of days`, Oh he should be here too see you sometime today but untilthen it would be best if you could get as much rest as you can.``Can you stay and talk for a while if I promise to lay still and just listen`?,he askedI can stay as long as you need me too but if I think that you are getting tootired I will stop , deal?``That's all right by me Sister you're in charge , I'll just lay here and do asI'm told`.`Do you remember anything at all about what happened or is it still blank?`. Sheasked`Totally blank Sister , so anything you can tell me will be welcome, I don'teven know my name`.`Well we can't have that now can we so ,how about you choose one until yourscomes back to you ?``That is a crazy idea Sister but why not, at least I'll stop being a no-body `.`You will never be a nobody , somewhere someone is waiting for you to come home,of that I am sure, so pick a name that you like and I'll tell you if it suitsyou , how's that?`.`O,K .Sister here goes , he thought for a minute and then for some reason a namecame into his head ,how about David,?`he asked her She thought for a second ortwo and then said `Yes I like that it suits you enough to even be your name`.she said`No it's not , I don't know what mine is but I'm sure that `s not it, butsomehow it feels like it's a name I should know, Anyway Sister how about youtelling me where you found me for starters maybe something will come back if Iknow more about what happened to me.``Very well . I was in the village getting supplies for the convent when I heardthe plane and then I saw smoke and decided to investigate. There was a car inthe middle of the road in flames , but with only one vehicle there it was clearthat this was not just an ordinary accident. Having heard the plane I assumedthat it was trying to shoot the car off the road. I had apparently not been theonly one who had been curious , some of the locals had come to see if there wasanything worth scavenging and decided to look in the ditches to see if anythinghad been blown in them from the road. They found you twenty feet from the car ,you were in the ditch covered by one of the car doors, if they hadn't heard youmoaning I would never have looked underneath . I sent one of the boys to theconvent to get the cart we have and the Reverend Mother came and we loaded youon and brought you here. It doesn't seem that the Germans are looking for you,we think that they assume that you were in the car and burned with the other manwe found. We brought you down here while you were still unconscious and youstayed that way , with the doctors help, for six days , He was concerned aboutyour head injury and decided that it would be best to keep you as still aspossible, as he dare not take you to the hospital for any x-rays and just had todo everything by guess work. He taped up your ribs , and between us we put thecast on your wrist , and stitched up whatever needed stitching. We thought forthe first couple of days that you weren't going to make it , but then youstarted to improve and the doctor knocked your morphine down .He left you withus and said if you came round to let him know as there was not a lot more hecould do for you until you were awake. So you see David you are an extremelylucky man. God was definitely looking after you that day.`Before he could answer her they heard voices outside and as he tried to get upshe told him it was only the doctor and the Reverend MotherAs the doctor entered the room he looked at Craig and smiled.` My you're lookinga lot better than when I last saw you , how do you feel, anything coming back toyou? Any idea who you work for?`.`I don't remember anything doc, not my name , nothing , and it's driving memad`.`Oh don't try so hard ,it will take longer to come back if you do.I have somegood news , I have managed to get in touch with the resistance and they aregoing to contact London to see if anyone is missing, presumed dead, It will ofcourse take some time,and if I were you I would use that time wisely and get asmuch rest as you can , because if they do find out who you are and where youbelong you might have to leave quite quickly. Now lets get you checked out andsee if we can take any more of those stitches out.``When he had finished Craig said `Thanks doc for everything`. The doctor lookedat him and said `My dear young man I am not the one you should be thanking , ifit hadn't been for the care the sisters gave you I doubt you would have lasted aday. , Now I will relay any messages to you through the Sisters and will be backto see you next week , don't try to hard with the memory , it won't come backany quicker if you worry about it. I will let you know as soon as I can if Ihear anything but these things take time , and there are a lot of people inLondon to ask about you, but we will find out who you are I promise, now you doas the Sister tells you and you'll be on your feet in a couple of days , Takecare young man`. On that note he turned and left before Craig had time to thankhim again for all that he had looked so downhearted that the sister took pity on him.`Would you like me to see if I can find you a book to read? `she askedIt won't be much our book department is sorely limited I'm afraid.`Sister I will be grateful for anything you can find, anything to keep theboredom at bay, ``I'll see what I can do `,she said and left. When she came back a little latershe had a copy of Moby Dick tucked under her arm ,`Best I can find , hope it'sall right` I have read it but I`ll give it another go`. He said. She looked at him andsmiled , `just a guess or do you actually know you've read it? she asked. Hesmiled back and she knew that this was something he rememberedAs the week went by he got better and better , everything that is except hismemory. The doctor had returned as promised but with the news that he definitelydid not belong to any of the resistance groups in the area, but they werechecking further out with other groups and would get to him as soon as still had no news from London but one of the groups he had talked to wasdue to get a reply in the next few days so all they could do was hope. Thedoctor stayed with him for a while knowing that the boredom was the worst partfor him now that he was feeling better .` Do you play chess David? he asked Ithought we might have a game if you did`.I do doc , hey I remember that , now if only everything else was so easy `,As they were playing the doc asked `David is it possible that you weren't herealone ? That you were with a group maybe? Some one who left because , like theSister, they thought that you had died in the burning car,? If they had been inthe ditch when the plane had attacked they would not have seen you been blownalong the ditch, and they would probably not have looked for you that far away`,He looked at the doctor and said` Anything is possible doc. I just don't know,maybe that's how it was ,` They went back to their chess game and out of nowherehe saw a face in his head, not a clear face but he knew that he had played chessbefore with this unknown man ,`What's the smile for David? From where I'msitting you're losing`, Craig just smiled ,`Only cos I'm letting you windoc`. They both laughed `Well in that case I'll retire gracefully and go and seeother patients who are entirely more grateful for my services, Seriously Daviddon't give up hope, you are alive and getting better every day , Soon I hopesomeone will be able to shed some light on who you are ,and I promise you this ,I will get you home David you have my word on Maria came to sit with him after the doctor had left and it was obviousthat some thing was bothering him `What's wrong `, she askedHe shrugged his shoulders and ran his good hand through his hair ,`It wassomething the doc said about me not being alone over here . They left me Sister,left me to die,I know I would never have left any of them .`Who are we talking about David ?` she asked`My men `, he answered ``Do you remember them?`Not their faces , those are still a blur , but I do know that I wasn't alone, Idon't even know how many there are , but I know that some one else was with me,`She didn't understand ,`Isn't remembering a good thing ?`, she asked.`You don't get it do you Sister , they left me ,probably didn't even look forme, what kind of team is that Sister ?, how much trust can there be when theycan just walk away and leave me for dead? .Maybe they didn't even try to findme`. She looked at him, `Maybe they did look , but just not in the right place,maybe they thought you were in the car. If they did they would know there wouldbe no hope for you and assume that you were dead.``I just wish I could be sure somehow Sister,I know I should just be grateful tobe alive , but I just need to know what happened , I need to know why they leftme behind `.She left him hoping that some time alone would help him work out his problem ,when she came back with his supper a few hours later he was laid on his bed, `Hedidn't look at her .`Take it away Sister ,I'm not hungry,` She put the tray offood down `If you don't eat it you might not be strong enough to go to the crashsite tomorrow,` He leapt off the bed as fast as his ribs would allow, `What areyou talking about Sister?`,`Well I just thought it might help you if you could see the place where you wereattacked. Maybe it will stir up some memories for you,We will have to be alittle careful , but the Germans don't use the road very often now so hopefullywe should be all right.``Are you sure you want to do this Sister? ,it could be dangerous,`She laughed at him .`You may not have noticed David but I have just spent thelast five weeks harbouring a fugitive from goodness knows where , I think I'vealready done dangerous,He looked serious ,`Sorry Sister I forgot how much danger I'd put you in theselast few weeks should have known better` ,`Well so long as you eat your supper we will consider the matter closed , noweat , and I will take you in the morning right after we've had breakfast, allright`. He picked up his knife and started to eat the bread and cheese she hadbrought him `Now that's better `, she said and walked out the was a long time since he had seen daylight properly and spent some timegetting his eyes adjusted to the suns brightness, The sisters had found him anold gardening hat and he looked the part of the villager he was supposed to was only a half hour walk and they took it at his pace and he enjoyed beingoutside. They soon came across what was left of the car, the Germans had pushedinto the ditch now to clear the road but he cold still see the burn marks on theroad. He was standing there when he realized that Sister Maria wasn't beside himany more. He turned around and looked at the ditch that ran along the side ofthe road , but couldn't see her . Slowly she stood up , she was a good twentyfeet away ,and as he walked towards her he knew that unless his men had seen himbeing blown from the car they would not have looked this far away from it forhim. `They didn't leave me ,they really thought that I was dead didn't they? heasked.`That's the conclusion I came too , but I wanted you to work it out foryourself`. She said `Anything else come back to you?`.`Nothing ` he told her `Nothing at he could see was an accident that had taken a life ,and luckily not his lifebut nothing else meant anything too him. They went back to the convent , wentback to the safety of his room. He was deep in thought and didn't see the doctorstanding there until he saw the shadow on the floor in front of him. He lookedup into the smiling face and saw the outstretched hand. Craig was confused buthe took the doctors hand anyway,. As the doctor covered Craig's hand with bothof his shook it warmly and said``Hello Lt. Garrison it is so nice to finally meet you!`.Craig looked at him opened mouthed. `You found out who I am?` he said , Thedoctor smiled `I've just had confirmation from London, they are ninety ninepercent sure that you are Lt. Craig Garrison, you have a special unit based justoutside London , and about six weeks ago you were sent with your team to get ascientist out if Germany. Something went wrong, your men returned saying that youhad been in a car crash and they had not been able to reach you before the carhad exploded killing both you and the scientist, This all adds up to what wefound so the chances are that you are exactly who they say you are.`Craig looked stunned but he didn't remember any of this, but at least now he hada name, someone knew who he was and maybe when he saw their faces some of hismemory would come back. `If everything goes according to plan you should be homein a week Craig, and don't worry , your memory will come back .Maybe not asquickly as you would like it too ,but it will resistance will get intouch and I'll get you to my house ready for them to pick you up probably theday before`Craig looked at him `Thanks doc ,thanks for everything `.`You're very welcome Craig , I'll see you in a few days, take care my friend `asthe doctor turned to leave Sister Maria touched his arm, `So Craig Garrison wefinally have a real name for you , I think that it suits you even better thanDavid,`He smiled at her`Thanks to you to Sister ,for keeping me sane,I know Iwouldn't have survived without you, I owe you my life `, She smiled at him,`Well just promise me one thing ,be a little more careful with it in future ,next time I might not be there to dig you out. He looked behind her to theReverend Mother .`Permission to hug a nun Mother ? He asked `Only if I get onetoo Lt,she said hugged them both and closed his eyes ,at last he wasgoing arrived in England three days later and was met by Major Freeman. Heapparently knew Craig and his men and thought it a good idea to fill Craig in ona few things while he was getting checked out in hospital.`Your men haven't yet been told that you are still alive , nor has you're sisterin law, that is something that I will deal with in the morning before you arriveat the estate,` Craig looked at the Major `I have a family?` he asked.` Yes I`m afraid your brother was killed more than a year ago,but you areextremely close to your sister in law by all accountsShe took the news of your death very badly and as your men seemed to be helpingher ,and were waiting to hear their fate anyway ,she was given specialpermission to stay at the mansion for as long as she wished. She has actuallybeen a good influence on them as taking care of her has kept hem out of troublemost of the time`Craig was confused `Sir I don`t understand why weren't the men sent to otherunits ?Major Freeman looked at him and smiled, Oh Lt, you're men are special ,they areone of the best fighting unit's the army has, and that is all down to you. Youdon't just send a unit like that on just any mission and as yet we haven't foundanyone else wiling to take them on.``I 'm afraid I still don't get it sir , since when did anyone get a choice inthe army ?.`With these guys it has to be some one special Lt. you see you trained them well, they do as you tell them and get the jobs done but they are no ordinarysoldiers Lt. They are thieves ,killers and conmen , the best that you could findanywhere ,and as far as anyone else is concerned the most unruly bunch of hoodsyou're likely to meet. They don't seem to have any respect for authority , andthe two Lt'.s we've sent to replace you , both asked for transfers in under aweek You're the only one that has ever managed to do anything with those men now you're back they are all yours again, We are not sending you on anymissions until we are sure how permanent your memory loss is and how it willaffect your team. I have a driver ready to take you to your accommodation fortonight and I've enclosed dossiers on all you're men so you can at least havesome idea of who they are and what they are capable of when you meet them, Iwill go to the estate in the morning and explain things to them and thenhopefully they will find the best way to tell Angel that you are still alive.`Craig looked stunned `I have a bunch of cons working for me?` he askedincredulously `This unit really works?`You make it work Lt. and from what we have seen over the last few weeks , youare the only one that can, the only one these men ever showed any respect for,They are extremely good at what they do given the right man to lead them , butwithout that leadership they become just another bunch of hoods , which quitefrankly the army has no idea what to do with, We need them back to the unit theywere before Lt. and we are hoping that now you are back it will only be a matterof time before we can start sending them where they can do some good`.Craig looked at the dossiers that he held in his hands ,`I'll do my best Sir,but to be honest this was hardly what I was expecting`.`That's all we can ask you to do Lt. and if the worst happens and you find thatyou can't now work with these men again then we do have one option left open tous.`What option would that be Major ?`. He asked`We can always as a last resort, and if all else fails we can send them back tothe prisons we got them from Lt. but lets hope that it doesn't come to thatshall we? I'm sure that once you and your men start working together againeverything will fall into place.``I hope so Major `Craig replied ,`I really hope so `.As the Majors driver arrivedCraig snapped off a salute and got in the jeep.`Get some rest Lt .you've earned it and I'll see you tomorrow about elevenshould do ,no rush.`Craig said `Thank you Sir `.As the jeep drove away Major Freeman watched and wondered , he had a badfeeling that this was going to be a lot harder than the Army anticipated , Hehad severe doubts about the Lt, he hoped that his memory loss hadn't affectedhis ability to command or to control his men ,Anyway they could at least givehim the benefit of the doubt , and only time would show them whether they hadbeen right to give him his command back so soon . He hoped that Craig could pullthis off for if he didn't then he would lose a team that had once had thereputation of being the best in the major pulled up outside the mansion the next morning having asked thesergeant major to gather the men in the Lt's office as he had somethingimportant to tell them. They drifted in as if they had all the time in the worldassuming that the Army had chosen someone else to pick up where the Warden hadleft off , and one thing was certain ,they were not going to make it easy forhim.`Right gentlemen I've asked you to come as I have some news that I think willplease you. We received a message from one of the resistance groups asking us ifwe were missing anyone, He said they had found a man buried near a burnt out carbut as this man did not have any idea who he was and had been unconscious forthe first few days after they had found him he had been no use in helping themfind his identity.`Casino butted in` What's all this got to do with us?.The Major looked at them, `I picked up this man yesterday ,his name is Lt CraigGarrison`. They just starred at him` Well gentlemen this is a first all of youspeechless`,`Are you sure ?`,asked Actor `Sure that it's the Warden ?`.`I talked to him yesterday ,it is Craig ,but we do have one small problem ,hedoesn't remember anything, not even his name, he only knows what I've told him,nothing else.``Do the doctors know how long the amnesia will last ? Asked Actor`They have told him his memory will return eventually but cannot give him a time, could be days or even months , we will just have to wait and see`.`Hey it doesn't matter man , he's alive , the Wardens alive , how about that ,We got to tell Angel`, Casino was near to shouting with excitementMajor Freeman couldn't help but smile, these guys were genuinely pleased thatGarrison was alive, He was amazed, Who would have thought an Army Lt. would meanthat much to them.` Craig should be back in the next half an hour so maybe it would be a goodidea to tell Angel what's happened so it won't be too much of a shock to herwhen she finds out he's still alive` he told them.`Angels not here , she's gone to the village and then she was going to see Mary, so we don't know when she'll be back,` Chief told himMaybe one of you should watch out for her and get to her before she gets toCraig `, he said. Chief continued,This ain't going to be easy for her ,she's only just got used to him beingdead , How's she going to feel when she knows he's alive ,but doesn't rememberanything about her or the rest of her family?` Don't know how much more of thisstuff she can deal with, she's been close to losing it a couple of times, and wecan't be with her all the time,Actor turned to look at him,` We'll get her through it Chief ,together we'll make sure that she's O.K. anddon't forget this time the Warden will be here to help, Who knows maybe seeingus or her will help him get his memory back, Lets not look for trouble before wehave too ,lets just treat them both as we did before and see what happens, allright .`All right Actor , whatever you say , I'll go and keep an eye out for her , letyou know when she gets back,` Chief went outside and made himself comfortable onthe steps waiting for her return.`Right , as you seem to totally in control of the situation I will leave you andjust wish you all the best of luck, let me know if you need anything at all ,Goodbye gentlemen`, With that Major Freeman turned and left ,leaving three verystunned cons arrived a few minutes after the Major left, got out of the jeep turned towardsthe mansion and just stood there looking at it. Actor was the first to see thathe was lost, he had no idea where to go once he went through the front doors. Hewent down and opened the door and came face to face with Craig,`Nice to have you back Warden , I know this is not going to be easy for any ofus but we will be as much help to you as we can, just let us know if you needanything`,` Thank you Actor right now I would like to have a tour of the mansion to get mybearings and then later I'll meet with you all and you can maybe fill in some ofthe gaps I have about the last mission, Craig walked passed him and into themansion without giving Chief a second glance, Actor stared at him , this wasgoing to be a lot more difficult than he had there were the other two members of his team, Goniff and Casino if hewasn't mistaken, He had read their dossiers the night before and could notbelieve that these guys were the unit that Major Freeman had told him about,They were soft, not soldiers at all , well that would all change tomorrow , hewould set up some training for them and see what they could really do, but fortoday he would just find his was around, and go through his office and sortthrough the things that needed doing.A cockney voice broke into his thoughts `You o.k. then Warden ?` he asked, `Youwant some coffee or something?.`Coffee would be good thanks Goniff, and then I'd like to see you all in myoffice , and that includes Chief ,if one of you would get him`.Actor looked at him, `Chief is outside waiting for Angel to come back, shedoesn't know that you're alive , it will be quite a shock for her.``I'm sure that I can handle that , thank you Actor ,now if you will just do as Iask I would be grateful.`Actor left and met Goniff and Casino coming out of the kitchen,` He don't give afig about anyone anymore does he ?` asked Casino,`Give him time Casino ,it's all new to him He's probably just worried about howeverything is going to work out , he doesn't remember any thing here , not evenus,` said Actor` Let's give him a little more time, see what happens all right`,`Yea all right , but I'm telling you if he hurts Angel I ain't never going toforgive him , no way man`.`I assure you Casino , it he does that ,none of us will.`They went back into his office and he sat back in his chair and looked at them.`Now Actor why don't you tell me exactly what happened on our last mission`.


	3. Chapter 3

_LOST AND FOUND 3_

_They heard the front door slam shut and Angel's voice shouting `Hi guys I'm back Mary sends her love and says you're all invited to Sunday lunch`_

_Actor looked at Craig, `Please let us tell her first, we have been through a lot together these last few weeks , it would be best coming from us`._

_He nodded and they all left and went to find Angel. He realized that it hurt him that these men could feel more for her than he could, he hoped that seeing her would make a difference, right now he would give anything for one face he remembered._

_They took her into the library and sat her down ,Actor began, `We had a visit from Major Freeman today ,Angel, we've had some news, something that none of us was expecting . She looked at him `something's wrong isn't it? she asked She stared at him, `Tell me just tell me`, He bent down and held both her hands. He felt her trembling ,` It's all right` he said,` It's good news Angel ,they've found Craig, he's alive, he was thrown clear of the car ,to far along the ditch for us to see and covered in debris , he was badly hurt but he is alive.`_

_`Where is he?` she stammered `When is he coming home? How badly is he hurt?, don't just stand there tell me`._

_`He's already here Angel, he arrived this morning`, she leapt from the chair and was out of the room and running down the corridor before anyone could stop her, and then came to a dead stop outside his door. She opened it and just stood there staring at him , not quite believing what she saw. Actor had not had time to tell her he might not know who she was and after staring at him for a few seconds she _

_Said` Craig`. and then threw her arms around his neck, _

_`Craig you're alive , Oh my God you're alive, I never thought I'd see you again , they said you were hurt , Oh it 's so good to have you home`. She hugged him again and then felt him gradually push her away from him and hold her at arms length._

_`What's wrong Craig?` she asked `Why are you looking at me like that?`,_

_He looked at her and said `I'm so sorry I don't remember you`._

_`How can you not remember?,` she asked. She looked in his eyes and knew that he was telling her the truth, as far as he was concerned he had never met her before. She was a stranger to him._

_`I hoped that seeing you would help me remember , but I'm sorry I don't know you`. he said_

_`That's all right she told him I'll help you , we can talk and I'll tell you everything you want to know ,for as long as it takes , you are home and safe and that 's all that matters` . _

_`Thank you` he said` But right now I have a lot of work to do , maybe we can do this later when I have more time to spare`,_

_Angel stared at him She felt as though she had been dismissed from school. She had grieved for this man and now he had come back into her life he treated her like a stranger, to be sent for later when he had the time, at his convenience. She could have stood and cried she hurt so much , Actor saw that things weren't going well and gently took her arm and led her to the kitchen._

_`We have to make allowances for him now, give him time Angel , once his memory starts to return he will know how much you mean to him , he will remember how much he loves you,`_

_`I hope so Actor I really do because all I feel right now is hurt and rejected`. _

_It will get better `, he said as he held her , `I promise it will get better` He only hoped that she believed what he told her because he wasn't sure he did._

_The next few days were no better , in fact they got worse as he had decided that as he was ready to work so were his men. He arranged early morning runs for them, assault courses and firing range practice_

_`Casino moaned as usual until Craig stepped up `_

_`I've had about all the winging I'm going to take from you Casino, you are soldiers and it's about time you started acting that way, and you know what Casino , if you don't like it then you can just go back to prison , because I am sure that I can get someone to do your job. This goes for all of you , either shape up or go back inside the choice is yours.`_

_Angel heard what he said and when the guys had left she said,` Don't you think you were a little hard on them? _

_He turned on her , I think that it is time for you to leave`, he told her I think it would be better if you only came to the mansion when you were invited, I cannot make soldiers out of them while you are undermining my authority`._

_`I think you'll find that I have an open pass to come here whenever I want Lt`. she said angrily._

_`Well consider you pass revoked as from now `. He said and turned round and walked away._

_The guys were not impressed with the change in him or the way he had treated Angel ,but when they tried to talk to him about it he told them what he did was no concern of their's and that they should mind their own business . They could not believe the way he was behaving, Before he had given them room to work out the frustrations of the day , but now , the last fight that Chief and Casino had started had cost them a day in the stockade, and a promise that next time it would be longer .for he would not tolerate brawling , and then sent them all on a five mile hike to burn off any excess energy they had. Something had to be done, the only thing was no one knew what_

_Angel was at the cottage when she heard the tooting of a horn ,and as she looked round she saw Peter walking towards her. `Hi` he said ,_

_`heard you wanted to see me`, _

_She sat him down with a cup of coffee and told him about the goings on at the mansion since Craig 's return._

_`I'm really worried Peter and not just about him , those guys are being pushed to the limit , they're cutting him a lot of slack but their patience will run out soon , and Casino for one is going to do or say something that will get him into real trouble. Please as a favour to me , will you go and talk to him?. _

_Peter smiled ,`For you Angel almost anything, but I have to say I don't know what I can do , but I will drop by later today on the pretext of checking up on him , just a follow up visit from the hospital , if that will make you feel better`. _

_`Oh it would Peter , it really would you know right now there is a apart of me that wishes he hadn't come back at all, because I don't like him much these days. _

_`Is it really as bad as that Angel? She nodded ,`You'll see what I mean when you meet him, he's a changed man and not for the better, and if he doesn't alter soon he was going to lose all the respect his men have for him, if it isn't to late already`._

_Peter came back later that day and once again sat down it the garden with her `My visit was very informative `, he told her, `I` think Craig is trying to act the way he thinks he should , and because he doesn't remember he's making a total mess of things. He's treating them as cons because that 's what they are to him, , He's determined to make them soldiers ,he doesn't understand that's not what they are, and the more he tries the more stubborn they become ,Some one has to talk to him , has to make him listen, make him understand how wrong he is .He needs to be shown that treating them as soldiers is not going to work they're specialists and he needs to cut them some slack to get the best out of them`. _

_He looked at Angel` you don't expect me to go up there and tell him all that do you? she asked, tell Craig that he's wrong, he'll throw me off the estate_

_`I've told you what needs to be done in my opinion`. Peter said `Now you have to decide what you are prepared to do for those guys ,and for Craig._

_She called him and asked if she could call and see him, he asked if it was important and she said as far as she was concerned it was a matter of life and death , so he said he would see her that afternoon while the men were doing their assault course training , she thanked him and said she would see him then._

_As she entered his office he looked at her` Sit down Angel , tell me what I can do for you`._

_She didn't quite know where to start but kept looking at him and then asked him `What happened Craig to make you change so much?, please tell me, I need to know what happened to the brother that I loved so very much, and who loved me, , we went through so much together and now you won't even talk to me, I need to know why Craig, _

_He walked to the window `I don't know what you're talking about ,anyway how am I supposed to feel about you when I don't even know who you are?_

_`Have you even tried to find out? Since you got back you have shut me out, sent me away instead of letting me help you, you never ask about David or Sarah , they both loved you so very much and you just don't want to know, Oh Craig I could tell you so much about them if you'd only let me`_

_`I read the reports on their deaths , dwelling on it won't bring either of them back`, he said. _

_She stared at him in amazement. She took a picture from her purse and walked to the window and held it up in front of him. _

_`Tell me where this was taken, tell me what we were doing that day doesn't this interest you at all? Don't you care anything about this family? `He didn't look at he or say anything, she was beginning to get angry with him `You've changed so much Craig, and not for the better , you've become unfeeling both to me and to your men ,it took you a long time to earn their respect, and if you don't change your attitude towards them soon , all the hard work you put in over the last twelve months will all have been for nothing , don't you even care Craig ? You worked so hard to earn their trust`. _

_`He turned on her `What makes you think that I care about how much those cons respect me or trust me , all I want is for them to do their jobs and follow the orders I give them. Nothing more. _

_`Don't you understand , they would have done anything for you, they risked their lives for you, dragged you halfway across Germany when you had been shot just to bring you home, and this is the way you thank them, you treat them like no-bodies. treat them like they don't matter to anyone , like they are worthless , well you should be ashamed of yourself Craig Garrison and if this is the way you are going to treat people from now on I'm not sure I want anything else to do with you, so if you want to spend the rest of your life alone then that's all right by me. She realized she was shouting at him ,she turned towards the door and he followed her said rather sharply `Angel`, She tried to get the door open but he held it closed, `Now you are going to listen to me`, he said. _

_`No Craig I'm not and you know what , you can call me and make an appointment this time and I'll try to make time to see you this time.` As she struggled with the door he let go ,not realizing that she was pulling it with all her might , it opened sharply and she reeled backwards loosing her balance she staggered and fell, hitting her head on the wooden corner of the chair, as she went down the lights went out._

_When the guys came back they went to the kitchen for a drink before hitting the showers to clean up before supper .Angel was sat at the table with an ice pack on her cheek and what was the beginnings of a rather spectacular black eye. Their concern was obvious and immediate . `Angel what the hell happened to you? Let me see `, Actor was at her side at an instant ,` Doesn't look too bad but it's going to need a couple of stitches, now what happened exactly?_

_`It was an accident , I tripped and hit my head , it was nobodies fault and I'll be fine just as soon as I stop seeing two of everything`, _

_`You probably have a mild concussion `_

_From behind them a voice said `I think I'll be the judge of that if you don't mind Actor `, Angel smiled `Hi doc `, _

_Peter took the ice pack away and looked at her face , `Couple of stitches that's all , Craig said you took a header into the chair didn't damage it too much I hope? How many fingers am I holding up ?`_

_`On which hand doc ?she asked,_

_`If at all possible it would be best if Angel could stay here tonight , I'm not on duty so I'll stay and keep an eye on her ,would that be possible Lt. ?`._

_Craig watched as all eyes turned to him , `She can have the bed in the office `, he said_

_`Actually I would prefer the library couch, much more comfortable and that way you won't have to put yourself out for me.` _

_The others could feel the tension between them and were sure that the injury had been caused by something that had happened between the two of them, but they also knew neither one of them was going to tell_

_`Right lets get you to bed and then I can get those stitches put in`, As she stood up the world went round , strong arms grabbed her and both Actor and Peter gently walked her to the library. _

_Craig watched them go and as he turned to look at the three left in the room all he saw was the look of disgust on each face. He knew them that Angel had been right, unless he changed the way things were he would never see that same look of loyalty that they had showed to Angel , for he was sure that if they believed for one minute that he had inflicted the injury deliberately , the fact that he was their commanding officer would not have kept him from getting the beating of his life, he was sure that they would do anything to protect her . It was a loyalty that somehow he felt that at one time they had given him, he just couldn't remember when or how, all he knew was that somehow he had to put things right , if it wasn't already too late._

_Angel woke the next morning to the smell of toast and coffee and realized she was hungry. She got up and having found she wasn't dizzy anymore decided to make her way to the kitchen. As she passed the bookcase near the door she caught sight of her reflection. As she prodded the offending cheek she found that it looked much worse than It felt. Her eye and cheek bone were a beautiful shade of purple with a little pink thrown in , it looked really spectacular .She started to smile but found that this was not a good idea as it was quite painful._

_As she entered the kitchen there were whistles all round, there was a `Wow ` from Casino and Goniff pointed out `That must really hurt`, _

_She gave a little bow `Glad you're impressed boys or are you just jealous because I'm going to get all the sympathy next time we go to the Doves`?_

_This brought smiles all round and then Casino asked. `You want I should scramble you some eggs then? Don't look like you're going to manage much else baby.` They sat and had breakfast together which was something they hadn't done in quite a while, Peter came `You got room for another one ? He asked `Always make room for you doc , want to keep in your good books` laughed Goniff. _

_Craig came in and the laughter stopped , he went to get some coffee and was heading back for the door when Angel said We can always find room for one more if you'd care to join us, I'm sure the paperwork can wait a few more minutes.` He looked at her and then at his men `I'd like that if it's all right with you guys`, he said_

_They looked at him , sure that he was up to something ` . You want some toast Warden ?asked Goniff, `Got some jam too if you like it , Angel brought it for us , some of the best I've tasted`, _

_They ate in silence until she asked `What have you all got planned for today then?` Craig spoke first,` `Well as you've all been working so hard I thought you might like a day off`, do what you want just stay out of trouble , all right ? They just looked at him_

_`Well ` Angel said` You heard the man, do you want a day off or not? `Want to know what the catch is first` said Casino_

_`No catch Casino just a day off if you want if you don't that's all right too.`_

_`They looked at each other and then at Angel and said `See you later `,and all disappeared out of the kitchen at once leaving all the dishes and the washing up,_

_`You could have timed that a little better now I have all the clearing up to do `, she said_

_He looked at her `If I give you a hand do you think that you could spare a little time to talk for a while?_

_`I told you before , all you ever had to do was ask Craig , that's all, come on let's get stuck into this and then we'll have coffee in the library and we can talk for as long as you like`._

_`Now that is my cue to leave. and it also gets me out of the work, thanks for breakfast Angel and take care of that cut I'll be back this way next week sometime so I'll take the stitches out then , and do me a favour , no more head butting chairs O.K.`_

_Angel smiled `All right doc I promise , and I'll see you next week bye.`_

_They stood in the quiet empty kitchen and looked at the mess surrounding them `Next time how about you give them the day off after they wash up ?` He smiled at her and said `I'll remember that `, _

_Craig carried the coffee to the library and put it on the table between the two large armchairs, He waited for her to sit down, he looked uncomfortable , as if he wasn't sure what to do next. `Why don't you sit down and have your coffee before it gets cold?` she asked. He looked at her, I'm so sorry about yesterday Angel , I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I just didn't want to admit to you or to myself that you were right `,he took a sip of coffee, `I've made a real mess of things haven't I `? he asked , She smiled at him `You might just have screwed up a little , but It's nothing that can't be fixed with a little help, if you really want to`._

_`I'm afraid Angel `he said quietly , `Afraid that my memory won't ever come back, and I guess I thought that if I didn't care about any of you it would be easier to deal with if that happened, but I was wrong ,all it did was alienate me from every one and make me feel more alone and now it's got so out of control I don't know what to do to put things right . I watched them yesterday when they walked into the kitchen and found you , saw the concern on their faces ,knew that they really cared about you ,would do anything for you ,I guess I was jealous that I wasn't a part of the family that you had all become, `he looked at her, his eyes asking for her understanding ,_

_`Don't you know that this family started with us, just the two of us ,she said.` It was us that decided to let them into our family, not the other way round, we had so much and they all had nothing over here, Goniff and Casino missed their folks so much, and Actor and Chief had nobody that cared about them, so we decided that if they wanted to, they could be a part of our family, so they never had to be alone, they would always have someone who cared for them, This was as much your idea as mine, probably more yours actually because you cared about them, as much as they cared about you.`_

_`I didn't know Angel, I thought I had to make them behave more like soldiers, that if I gave them too much freedom I wouldn't be able to control them ,that they would put the missions in jeopardy and as a soldier I couldn't allow that to happen, I couldn't believe that I could put my trust in a bunch of cons`. _

_Angel looked at him `You don't need to control them` she said ,`Just be in command , they needed someone to trust and rely on , and you worked hard gaining both of those things Craig, They would have done anything for you , without question , because you never let them down`._

_`I really screwed things up didn't I ?` he asked `Its just having read their dossiers I couldn't believe that they were anything but thieves and killers`_

_`Craig those dossiers are over a year old, a lot has changed since then, they are not the same men you took out of prison, you changed those four hoods into one of the best fighting unit's the Army had Then they didn't trust each other or anyone else back then , especially a screw , and that is what you were to them why do you think they called you the Warden? , but things gradually became different between you, they started to trust you and for them that was something really special.`_

_Craig put his head in his hands `I wish could remember any of that but there is just nothing in what you say that makes any sense to me at all.`_

_`You read their files didn't you ? Well let me tell you something , lets take Actor, for starters you now treat him as your second in command, you trust him to carry out any orders you give him , and he treats you with a respect that he shows to few other people. Goniff hates this war and all the killing , but he wants a fresh start and believes that if he can get through the war that you will keep your word and he will get his parole, but more than that Goniff holds this team together , he finds something good in every situation, he keeps their spirits up and even in the darkest times he can make them smile, his belief in you is getting him through this war because he knows you will not let him down. _

_Casino just wants to fight and doesn't care who so long as nobody really gets hurt he , has had a large family and needs to be heard so sometimes he's louder than he ought to be, but even if he argues he will eventually decide that he will have to do what he's told so he just gets on with it, he's never let you down , always done whatever you have asked him to.`_

_`What about Chief `, he asked , `He's a killer I can't even understand why I would take him out of prison with the record he's got`,_

_`Maybe you saw something in him that no one else ever saw ,she said, _

_Chief ,is your greatest achievement you turned a bitter young man , who had no trust in anyone into a member of a team that you could be proud of`. You saved his life on your second mission and according to him when he tried to say thanks , you just told him you were sure that he would have done the same for him. Chief had never had anyone in his life who had trusted him like that , or who didn't want something from him. He learned to trust you to Craig ,I think you were the first real friend he ever had`. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair._

_`You're right Angel , the men in those files aren't the ones you've been telling me about , I guess something changed for all of us.`,_

_`Craig`, she said `They need to let off steam sometimes and you usually give them enough leeway to do that, the only trouble is it's not usually in a conventional way. That fight you stopped the other day for instance, they would never intentionally hurt each other you know. If you had walked in and told them they had a mission it would have stopped straight away and started again the minute they got back to the mansion. I can walk into that room now and call Chief a half breed Indian and he would just look at me and say Oh hi Angel, but if Casino walked in and just said Hi Indian the reply would probably be `what did you call me`? And the fight would start straight away ,but don't forget that you trained these men .Chief is the best I've ever seen with a knife but after one of those fights I bet neither one of them as so much as a fat lip ,truth is they just like to brawl`._

_Craig looked at her and laughed_

_`Do you know that is the first time I've seen you laugh since you came home` ,she said_

_`You're right , but that still doesn't solve the problem , I screwed up and I don't know them well enough to put things right `,_

_Now it was Angels turn to laugh, `You seem to think this is the first time`, she said, `The last time it cost you two bottles of good scotch to get back in their good books`,_

_`Think that would work again? `he asked her,_

_`It might `she said `But I know one thing that would work a lot better `, He looked at her `Try telling them the truth` ,tell them how you feel , that you're scared , they've all felt like that sometimes and you have always been there to help them , let them help you now as they wanted to do when you first came back`. They truly grieved for you Craig , we all did, they care about you and will give you all the help they can , all you have to do is ask for it `._

_Will you wait here a minute ?` he asked her as he walked out of the room, she nodded, and a few minutes later he came back with a bottle tucked under his arm. `Would you mind coming to help break _

_the ice `, he asked ,She smiled at him ` O.K. but just one drink and then you're on your own.`_

_They knocked on the door and Casino's voice shouted `Come on in we're all descent`, He walked to the table and put down the bottle ,_

_`Have a drink with me? `, he asked _

_They eyed him with suspicion until Angel said `Don't forget my glass guys`, They looked at her and decided that if she would drink with him then so would they._

_He sat at the table with them and took a deep breath. `I have it on good authority `, he told them, `That I have behaved like a complete idiot, and for that I am sorry , I have also been told that the best thing I can do is tell you the truth so here goes ,He took a long swig of his drink. _

_`All I had to go on when I got back was the dossiers that I was given when you first came out of prison, and until Angel told me I didn't believe that you could all have changed so much ,She says that you are a team that I am very proud of , and that I have trusted with my life more than once, I wish I could remember that , I get frustrated when I should know a name or a face and I don't and truthfully it's a little scary to think that it's always going to stay like this. I felt that if I lost control then I wouldn't be able to do my job ,and asking for the help of four cons I didn't know was unacceptable. It has been pointed out, very clearly to me that this was just about the worst mistake I've ever made and so I'm asking now ,please help me? Tell me things that we did together , anything that might help jog my memory . I need your help if I have any chance of beating this.`_

_Casino looked at him `Before we decide there's something we need to know, did you hit Angel, even accidentally, _

_He looked Casino straight in the eye ,`No Casino I would never do that, besides if it had been anything but an accident she would have knocked me for six , because she has a kick like a mule when she's angry.`_

_Angel smiled at him and asked `How do you know that then?`. _

_`Because I taught you self defence `he said .She laughed, `Yes you did, but I didn't tell you that`._

_`I remember , he laughed too `I remember throwing you on the grass when you asked me to teach you told you that you had to fall first without hurting yourself, `Oh Angel I remember, he said. _

_The others were finding this new giddy Lt. highly entertaining, and Angel was sure he would spend the rest of the day walking round with a silly grin on his face. But no-one really minded because for him this was a giant breakthrough. They were smiling too now , glad that at last this looked like a new start for him. The belief that they were not just hoods that couldn't be relied on had gone, and maybe this was a start to ,finding the old Lt again because they hadn't liked this new one at all._

_`So , is everything all right now he asked ,`Are we good _

_`Yea we're good Lt' but as a show of good faith maybe we could go down to the Doves for the evening now that you trust us to come back` ._

_Craig said ,`Gentlemen the evening is yours, but remember that tomorrow we work, _

_What's so special about tomorrow Casino asked _

_Craig smiled, `That's when new assault coarse I designed for you will be ready, so you can all get up bright and early and test it out , `_

_As he turned to leave he heard Casino `That's not fair Warden , not after a night on the town,`_

_`Cut it out Casino `said Chief ` unless you want him to find us something else for us to do as well`._

_`Would it not be possible to do it another day , as the weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow?`, Actor asked_

_Behind them it was Goniff who had the last word, .As he closed the door he heard Goniff say `Good to have you back Warden`. `Angel smiled at him `Couldn't have put it better myself `, she said and put her arm through his and they walked into the grounds for an afternoon stroll , to find somewhere to sit and talk about their family._


End file.
